This present invention relates to a new and distinct variety of hardy, bush type plant of the miniature rose class. This new variety was created by me in a greenhouse in Rowley, Mass. by crossing the following two rose plants:
The seed parent is ‘Taxi’ (not under patent protection).
The pollen parent is an unintroduced seedling of [‘Party Girl’ (U.S. Plant Pat. No. 4,598) by ‘SAVaspark’ (U.S. Pat. No. 9,799)] by ‘MACgenev’, (U.S. Plant Pat. No. 8,279).
The main purpose of this breeding program is to produce unique miniature roses with hybrid tea form. We are also trying to reintroduce fragrance into roses along with disease resistance. Our ideal miniature rose would have fragrance and excellent disease resistance, along with hardiness and exhibition, hybrid tea form blooms in abundance from late spring to late fall.
To achieve this goal, various fragrant roses have been brought into the breeding program which, besides fragrance, were chosen for disease resistance and hardiness and then for hybrid tea, exhibition form. Those roses are mostly hybrid tea roses and with a couple of floribunda. These larger fragrant roses are then crossed with miniature roses, chosen for their disease resistance, durability and quality of bloom production in hopes of producing fragrant, hardy, disease resistant, floriferous miniature roses.
To create this rose, I used the very fragrant, hybrid tea rose, ‘Taxi’, noted for its good disease resistance and hardiness, as the seed parent. The pollen parent was a seedling that was the result of crossing a very floriferous miniature seedling from earlier in the hybridizing program, by the very fragrant hybrid tea, ‘MACgenev’. This miniature seedling is, itself, fragrant and with tremendous bloom production and for those reasons was chosen for this particular cross.
This present invention, like its seed parent, ‘Taxi’, has red flowers with intense fragrance and with exhibition, hybrid tea form. Both plants have an upright growing habit. The most obvious difference between the two is that the seed parent is an hybrid tea rose while the new invention is a miniature rose. Although both roses are red, the new invention is a bluer-red while the seed parent is more of an orange-red.
The pollen parent is a fragrant, apricot miniature seedling. The similarities between this present invention and the pollen parent are the petal count and the fact that both are fragrant and miniature roses. This present invention is different from its pollen parent in plant habit and color. The new invention is red flowering and of upright habit. The pollen parent has medium-apricot colored flowers and a more spreading plant habit.
Asexual reproduction by cuttings of this new variety in Rowley, Mass., have shown root development to initiate in 1 to 2 weeks on cuttings taken from new growth, depending on light and temperature, and that these rooted cuttings, grown on, show all distinguishing characteristics to continually come true to form.